Every photographer at some point in their career asks themselves “Why am I doing this?”. It is an excellent question and one which warrants careful thought. Everywhere we are surrounded by images – images on the packages of products we buy, in magazines we read, on billboards we drive by, on television and websites, on our living room walls and bedside dressers, in our wallets even on our clothing. As photographers, we produce all these images. Yet often the experience of the viewer is far removed our original perception of the subject. This leads in a roundabout way to the question I often ask on location as a travel photographer, “Why am I taking this picture?”

It is a humbling experience to stand before a subject, a person, building or landscape, in a foreign country, camera in hand, and propose to make an image. Thinking of the vast number of images already in circulation, the billion shots of the Eiffel Tower, the flowers and sunsets, happy children and earnest peasant farmers, it is easy to get jaded. “What can I say that is useful? What does this subject have to say? How do I see what is in front of me?”

Harvard economist Umair Haque calls for a new constructive capitalism to focus more on “create authentic, meaningful value”. For the photographer this means seeking to make images that mean something, images that make a contribution to the world, that illuminate in some way. For me as a travel photographer that means images that reflect and carry the values I see in travel – respect for other cultures, learning to be a guest, broadening one’s horizons, developing a capacity for wonder, seeing beyond oneself and learning from the Other.

So how do you make meaningful authentic photographs? The American photographer Minor White said “No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen.” It might sound presumptuous, but it helps to cultivate a sense that there might be something else going on when one is is photographing, whether it is being aware of “the decisive moment”, or consciously emptying oneself, trying to stand aside and let the subject present itself in its own right.

For a photographer this practice can be part of a counteraction against the flood of images, the posed models and generic business handshakes that surround us. And it can be part of a transition beyond generic travel shots, the billion-and-first Eiffel tower shot etc., to an authenticity that is rare but life-enhancing. In this world of commodity images it is a goal worth striving for.

If you have experiences of the search for authenticity in your own photography, please add your comments below.

Note: You can see and extended video presentation by Umair Haque here. More on Minor White on Encarta and here

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• Photography and Social Media
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• New FTC Rules that Travel and Photography Bloggers Should Note

I am repeatedly amazed and the density and diversity of photographic subjects in Europe. In Flanders, the northern, Flemish-speaking, region of Belgium, for example, within a short range of only 100 kilometers, are four major destinations, the cities of Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels.

On a recent photo shoot in Flanders I was able to cover all four cities, traveling easily by train and taxi, with an initial connection by Eurostar form London. Bruges is the most touristy and the recent Oscar-winning film of the same name contnues to draw people fascinated by the cobbled-streets, canals, market square and old belfry. Ghent is much more a university town, home to the 15th century St. Bavo’s Cathedral, less crowded and with wider range of upscale restaurants and clubs. Antwerp is the commercial center of Flanders and hub for the diamond trade, bustling and business-like, with a broad shopping promenade and vast market square around the cathedral. Brussels, seat of the governments of both Belgium and the European Community, is by far the largest of the four, yet is surprisingly accessible on foot. Wandering in and out of the tiny streets of the historic city center, even amidst the tourist throng, I found an endless series of cafes and specialty shops, people, parks, museums and churches.

Flanders now has its own tourism representation in New York and an active website visitflanders.us. You can also follow events on their Twitter stream @visitflanders

A selection of my Belgium images are now up and available for licensing from Getty Images. Additional images are at www.davidsanger.com/stock/belgium

After an afternoon photographing an outdoor Living History event at San Antinio’s Institute of Texas Cultures, I walked passed the main museum exhibit space just as the museum was closing. The brightly neon lit Texas flag caught my eye and I got a couple of shots, but it needed something else. Quickly seeing a museum docent closing up his desk for the day, I asked if he’d step in front of the lit flag. The result, a bold silhouette with cowboy hat and Texas resolve, has been used in magazine spreads and as a Nikon advertisement.

The fiery energy of Flamenco, the story, the song, the guitar, the dance, the palmas, the emotion, all comes alive each year at the annual Flamenco Festival de Jerez in Andalucia, Southern Spain.

Late night in the small venues, the passion of the dance excites the tightly packed crowd. The atmosphere is electric and the cry of the singer, and tap of the dancer’s heels brings the emotion to a fever pitch. Dedicated performers, they are a joy to watch and hear.

More Flamenco images

Maria del Mar Moreno on YouTube

Prague is a magical city, moody, reawakening. Cobble streets, Gucci fashion, rumbling streetcars, tourists and fine classical symphonies. The bustle and romance of staid this old continental capital emerging into the rush of modern Western European life makes for a rich experience for the visitor – and a wide range of subjects for the photographer

More images of Prague

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Oktoberfest in Munich is this month and brings lots of energy and enthusiasm, colorful parades, carnival rides, good food and music and of course a visual feast for photographers. During a traditional concert as part of the kickoff celebrations, I was eager to get close in to this tuba player to get a sense of his concentration. Covering the festival for an American magazine my aim was to find small details to give more personal points of contact amidst the high energy of the huge crowds who thronged the Munich fairgrounds.

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Photographing this Alutiiq woman at the Alaskan Native Heritage Center in Anchorage I was drawn by her colorful beaded headdress and feathered snowfalling dress. At the end of the portrait session, drawing in close to a simple focus on her eyes framed by beads gave the most engaging image. Often only a small part of the scene is all that is needed to tell the whole story.

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In early August I travelled to Quebec to the old city to photograph the New France Festival for a week. Quebec has its 400 year anniversary celebration coming up in 2008 and is already preparing for the celebrations.

More images are at www.davidsanger.com/stock/quebec

]]> http://www.davidsanger.com/portfolio/culture/feed 0 http://www.davidsanger.com/editorial/spanish-fire http://www.davidsanger.com/editorial/spanish-fire#comments Wed, 02 Feb 2005 06:43:06 +0000 david sanger http://www.davidsanger.com/testblog/p/spanish-fire

Holiday magazine in the UK featured this story on flamenco photographed in Jerez in Andalucia with text by Colin Barraclough.